CHAPTER II.

REALITY OF SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE.

THE Bible, profane history, and spiritual manifestations establish the fact beyond all successful controversy, that men have had intercourse with spirits. The advocate of spiritualism is so strongly fortified on this point that before all others he prefers such opponents as deny all agency of spirits in the "manifestations." Against such a position he is best prepared to wage a successful warfare.

In all ages persons have claimed to hold intercourse with spirits, whose claims have never been disproved. It is not to be expected that reflecting and candid persons who believe in the Divine origin of the Scriptures, in the midst of such wonders as surround us, will adopt any theory or philosophical hypothesis to explain these "manifestations," which will not admit of a consistent explanation of all the spiritual phenomena of the Bible, without violence to the plain letter of inspiration-its necromancy and familiar spirits-its Egyptian sorcery and magic-its evocation of Samuel-its python ric damsel-inspiration of false prophets-its history of

possessions by demons and expulsion of demonsits unclean, wandering and seducing spirits-its satanic conversations and satanic miracles-its predictions of "devils working miracles," with its witchcraft and worship of devils. To deny the possible agency of evil spirits in manifestations like these of our times, is to deny the truth of the Bible.

JEHOVAH said to Israel: "When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of these nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee."-Deut. 18: 10-12.

I. DIVINATION.-" Divination, the art of foretelling future events by previously recognized signs. The word is derived from the Latin devinatia, and that again from divinus, forming an acknowledgment of the text-'secret things belong to God !' The Greek word is manteia, and this which takes its derivation from mantis, a prophet or soothsayer, is generally used in combination to denote the various species of divination. Thus geomancy, necromancy, cheiromancy, from ge, the earth, nekros, a dead person; cheir, the hand; and manteia, signifying therefore divination by means of sand or earth, by calling up the spirits of the dead, and by investigating the lines on the palm of the hand. Divina

tion appears to have been early reduced to a kind of a system, and we find many prohibitions in the word of God directed against it. . . .The kinds of divination mentioned in Holy Writ, are

1. Cupellomacy, otherwise Berylomacy, divination by the cup or jewel.

2. Rhabdomacy, divination by the wand or arrow. 3. Necromancy, divination by the dead.

4. Splanchnomancy, divination by inspecting the entrails of victrims.

5. Oneiromancy, divination by dreams.

6. Cleromancy, divination by lot.

7. Idolomancy, divination by teraphim. 8. Phonomancy, divination by voices.

There were some lawful means among the Jews for inquiring into the future. There were the prophets or seers; there was the Urim and Thummim. God having thus made provision even for the infirmities of the people, all other modes of obtaining a knowledge of future events were forbidden under the severest penalties: to be stoned to death was the punishment denounced against diviners and those who consulted them; and it is to be observed, that none were likely to do so save those who, on account of the unlawfulness of their designs, could not consult the lawful oracles, or those to whom, on account of their offences, these oracles were sealed. Thus we find Saul declaring to the shade of Samuel: "God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets nor by dreams, therefore

I have called thee."-(1 Sam. 28: 15.)-Bible Cyclo. Art, Divination.

2. OBSERVER OF TIMES, one who imputes good or ill fortune to the day when any enterprise is commenced, regarding some days as lucky and other days as unlucky.

3. ENCHANTER, a person who practices incantation or conjuration; one who calls up spirits by magic formulas; one who brings into action the power of spirits.-See Ex. 7 and 8.

4. WITCH, a woman who practices divination by the aid of evil spirits; one who has a divining spirit in her; one who exerts supernatural power by the aid of a familiar spirit; "a medium for test personations, by which the actual presence" of evil spirits "can be realized;" a " developing medium." "Witch, a woman who, by a compact with the devil, practices sorcery, or enchantment."-Webster. 5. CHARMER, a mesmerizer; a psychologist; one who entrances by the assistance of evil spirits.

6. CONSULTER WITH FAMILIAR SPIRITS, one who consults a spirit that is in him, or by which he is inspired; one who consults an evil or a departed spirit with which a compact has been made; one who consults a spirit that inspires another or that is familiar with another.

"Familiar Spirit, a demon or evil spirit, supposed to attend at call."-Webster.

GESENIUS defines the original of 1 Sam. 28: 7 rendered in our version "a woman who hath a fa

miliar spirit ""A woman in whom is a divining spirit.”

"Mediums" of these days say they have divining spirits in them. Some say they have made a compact with spirits to be their constant attendants, familiars and guardians. Others say that spirits are obedient to their call. Thus, Prof. Hare says,

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spirits do exist obedient to his call."

7. WIZARD, a medium for evil spirits, or departed spirits; "a conjurer or enchanter; a sorcerer."Webster.

8. NECROMANCER. Necromancy, Greek Necromanteia, is derived from Nekros, dead, and Mantis, a diviner. It signifies divination or the revealing of secrets by the assistance of the dead.

“Necromantis, one who reveals future events by communication with the dead."-Donnegan-Web

ster.

9. SOOTHSAYER, a prognosticator, a foreteller; one who undertakes to tell future events without reliance on Divine inspiration. Balaam, who went to curse Israel, is styled a soothsayer.-Joshua 13 : 22.

10. MAGIC, the art or science of putting into action the power of spirits; or the science of producing effect by the aid of departed spirits.- Webster.

Jannes and Jambres, who withstood Moses, were styled magicians and sorcerers.

11. SORCERY, magic with craft; or divination with the assistance of evil spirits.— Webster.